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Illinois Football: Breakdown of recent scholarship offers

By Rees Woodcock

Sep 18, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; A detailed view of a football and pylon before the game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 18, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; A detailed view of a football and pylon before the game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 15, 2016; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Lovie Smith looks on during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at High Points Solutions Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2016; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Lovie Smith looks on during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at High Points Solutions Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /

3. RB Novric Jackson; Class of 2018

Illinois continues to find players for the class of 2018 who would help build this program into what Lovie is envisioning. Novrick Jackson could be a part of the Illini rebuild. He is a 6-foot-1, 190-pound running back from Boyd Anderson High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He isn’t ranked on the recruiting sites but he has had other programs looking at him like Pittsburgh and West Virginia.

Going hard after running back talent is a good idea. That is a position that needs to always have depth, and offering a scholarship to Jackson is going to continue making the push for more depth for the Illini. There are a lot of overlooked players from big states like Florida. Hopefully, the coaching staff sees something special in Jackson and they can get a steal.

4. RB Lentivone Lesane; Class of 2018

Since Lovie took over the Illinois football program, the coaching staff has spent a lot of time down in the state of Florida. They have now offered Lentivone Lesane a scholarship for 2018. He isn’t ranked nationally but he is from Mater Academy Charter School in Hialeah, Florida, and he is starting to pick up scholarships from teams like Syracuse, Utah and UCLA. His stock is only going to keep rising as time goes on.

Illinois could use a player like Lesane. He is a bigger running back standing at 6-foot-1, 189-pounds and that is what Lovie is used to. The Illini will also be losing some running back depth in the near future as well. They need to continue stocking up on running backs who could be the future of this program, and getting someone like Lesane could be beneficial.

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